https://www.vetsurgeon.org/f/clinical-questions/20268/toxo-query-from-our-rvn Today we were advising a client about toxoplasmosis and human pregnancy and our RVN asked a question I wasn&#39;t sure about: If a cat, who has had toxo in the past, mounted an immune response and is no longer shedding oocysts was to eat another toxoen-USTelligent Community 10https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/122015?ContentTypeID=1Sun, 05 Oct 2014 12:42:20 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:fc53027b-5a6a-442c-acbd-c97257e02a98Colin Thomson<p>But do the oocysts not have to sporulate (outside the cat) before they become infective, and that takes 2-3 days? So providing litter trays are being cleaned daily, even the very rare, and possibly once in a lifetime shedding described shouldn&#39;t be a problem to humans.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/122009?ContentTypeID=1Sun, 05 Oct 2014 00:53:13 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:55752c91-c655-48c6-ab87-4a9f66060bd8Nicola Cole<p>[quote user=&quot;Richard Carter&quot;]<p>The immune response is very good in both humans and cats so really should be minimal risk unless something is going on to compromise the immune response (medication/illness).</p> <p>Adults cats are shedding just in such small numbers as to not constitute a threat - you do need a certain number of infective bodies to cause disease such as picking up a tox positive placenta - one or two every other day is dealt with by your own immune system</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>[/quote] But during pregnancy you are relatively immunosuppressed. However, no idea (and would be unethical to test) how much exposure to toxo constitutes a risk.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/121959?ContentTypeID=1Fri, 03 Oct 2014 09:10:13 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:26c9cb6b-c12d-4be9-8160-d05188b9ab84Richard Carter<p>The immune response is very good in both humans and cats so really should be minimal risk unless something is going on to compromise the immune response (medication/illness).</p> <p>Adults cats are shedding just in such small numbers as to not constitute a threat - you do need a certain number of infective bodies to cause disease such as picking up a tox positive placenta - one or two every other day is dealt with by your own immune system</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/121951?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 02 Oct 2014 23:45:28 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:b5ea6513-7837-42b2-a7a7-f1938fed5a01Michael Woodhouse<p>[quote user=&quot;SER&quot;]If a cat, who has had toxo in the past, mounted an immune response and is no longer shedding oocysts was to eat another toxo laden mouse - would they shed oocysts again for the ten days or so or would the previously generated anti bodies stop the part of the life cycle which goes on in the feline intestine?[/quote]</p> <p>The cat is immune so wouldn&#39;t shed. I have read some articles that suggest the parasite may reactivate and shed again in cases of old age or suppressed immune function. Once infected you have it for life.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/121928?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 02 Oct 2014 21:17:27 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:8a05bbbb-c30f-4221-ac84-12203120232emariette asselbergs<p>As I always understood it, the highest risk comes from kittens shedding oocysts after their first contact with toxoplasmosis.&nbsp;</p> <p>However, I would always advise pregnant women to stay well away from any faecal contamination from cats. But be especially wary of kittens.</p> <p>Mariette</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>